Abstract:
Several studies have investigated the extinction of urban public open spaces in
South Africa. However, a fixation by such studies on well-established primary cities
has been noticed, whilst limited attention has been paid to emerging major cities. In
addition, findings from these studies have resulted from the perspectives of either
planning entities’ representatives or representatives of the communities associated
with open space encroachment. This implies the absence of a systemic and multistakeholder
engagement. This article contributes towards bridging these observed
gaps through the elicitation of multi-stakeholder perspectives on the enablers of urban
public open space encroachment in major cities, using a Mangaung Metropolitan
exemplar. Adopting a qualitative case study research design, data were gathered
using semi-structured interviews and focus-group interviews. Participants were
purposively recruited from Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality planning department
and community members residing in Freedom Square township, Bloemfontein. The
data were analysed using thematic analysis. Significant enablers identified include
low levels of sustainability literacy, low levels of citizen participation in the planning
process, and planners’ inability to manage extant value conflicts. The findings from
this study contribute to a broader study that seeks to develop an urban open space
planning and management framework for forestalling the incidence of encroachment
in major cities. Accordingly, this study’s findings have practical implications for
relevant planning stakeholders who are keen on curbing the incidence of urban open
space encroachment in South African townships.
